Automatic circuit-breaker



P. L.-N|SSEN.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1919.

1,380,493. Patented June 7, 1921.

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INVENTQR. Zefer L. Mame,

A TTORNE Y.

Maren;

t l l PETER L. NISSEN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITEDSTATES AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 1921.

Application filed August 29, 1919. Serial No. 320,676.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER L. NISSEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticCircuit-Breakers, of which the following is a specification.

'1 his invention relates to automatic circuit breakers for use inconnection with fire alarm circuits and one object is to provide asimple, inexpensive and reliable device of this character which may"have the fuse easily renewed after being blown out.

A further object is to provide a circuit breaker which can be readilyexamined, reset for use, and replaced when necessary. Other objects willhereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fullyunderstood, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of the device set readyforvuse.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device.

Referring now in detail to the various parts, 2 designates a supportingmember consisting of porcelain or other suitable insulator. Saidsupporting member 2 is provided with a transverse recess 4 to receive apair of oppositely disposed conductorsb which are sealed in said recess4 with wax or other suitable nonconducting material 8. Each conductor isprovided at one endwith .a binding post 10, which extends through thesupporting member 2, to receive one end of a wire 12 constituting partof a fire alarm or other circuit.

The adjacent ends of the conductors 6 rest upon the upper ends of a pairof resilient contact members 14, extending downwardly through an opening15 in the axis of a boss 16 constituting a portion of the supportingmember ,2. The upper portions of the contact members 14 are spaced apartand secured to a block of insulation 18 held within the boss 16 byplaster of Paris or other nonconducting cementitious material 20.

The contact members 14 after leaving the boss 16 are bent apart asindicated at 22 and then toward each other and have their lowerterminals secured together by fusible metal 24.

In practice the supporting member 2 is secured by bolts or screws passedthrough hole 26 to the c g or Wall of. a buddin protected by the firealarm circuit, the current of which flows from one wire 12 to the otherthrough the binding posts 10, the conductors 6, and the contact members14. Should a fire occur and melt the fuse 24, the lower ends of thecontact members 14 immediately spring apart and open the fire alarmcircuit which sends in an alarm.

With a construction such as above described, the parts may be readilyassembled and after the thermostat has acted it is only necessarv toagain secure the lower ends of the resilient contact members 14 togetherwith fusible material, to place the device in active po'sition' From theforegoing description it is apparent that I have produced an inexpensivethermostat consisting of but few parts not liable to get out of orderand which is reliable in operation, and while I have shown and describedthe preferred form of my invention, I reserve the right to make suchchanges in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts asproperly fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, an insulator having atransverse recess therein, a pair of oppositely-disposed conductorssealed within said recess, a pair of resilient contacts each having oneend projecting from the insulator and its opposite end secured withinsaid insulator and in permanent contact with its respective conductor,and fusible means to normally hold the outer ends of the contactstogether, so that an electric current may pass from one conductor to theother through said contacts.

2. In a device of the character described, an insulator having a bossprojecting therefrom, a pair of resilient contacts-each having one endextending into the boss, insulation sealed within the boss andseparating the inner ends of the contacts, fusible means normallyconnecting the outer ends of the contacts, and conductors spaced apartand each in permanent engagement with the inner end of a respectivecontact.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER L. NISSEN. Witnesses:

F. G. FISCHER, L, J. F ISCHER.

